title: [Knowledge, attitudes, and practices relative to the risk of transmission of hepatitis B and C viruses in a hospital in Togo].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the knowledge, the attitudes, and the practices of hospital nursing staff in relation to the infectious risks of the hepatitis B and C viruses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional descriptive survey conducted at the Lome Campus Teaching Hospital among the nursing staff present during at least one of the 2 consecutive workdays of the survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total nursing staff included 190 people, 115 (60.5%) of whom participated in the investigation. Slightly more than three-fifths were men (61.7%). Their mean age was 37.9 ± 10.7 years. The contaminated materials encountered most often were blood (94.8%), needle-drawn fluids (77.4%), and biopsy samples (53.9%). Staff most often did not comply with protective measures: 75.5% did not use gloves regularly and 46.0% did not use bibs. More than one third of the nursing staff (34.8%) had had such a needle-stick or related accident, but only 8.8% had reported them: 74.2% because of the potential administrative difficulties and 25.8% because of ignorance (25.8%). Staff knowledge about the means of transmission of these viruses was good (98.3%). The vaccination coverage rate of the nurses questioned was 51.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Training and awareness campaigns about the occupational risks of HBV and HCV remain necessary.
authors.affiliation: Service gastroentérologie, CHU-Campus de Lomé, 15 BP, 110 Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bagny
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bouglouga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Djibril
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Laconi Kaaga
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hamza Sama
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balaka
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Redah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000635:transmission*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014037:Togo
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines
keywords: African health care setting; Togo; hepatitis B and C viruses